Thoughts on the passing of Rick Martin

I love Rick Martin, but not for any reason more poignant than what he meant to people who matter to me. To my beloved Gram, he is a star in the history of her favorite team. To my dad and mom, he was a prolific goal scorer during their courtship. To me, he was a hockey player who played when my uncles were growing up and could tell me a heck of a tale on the golf course or bar afterward. To my son, he’ll be a legend whose name hangs in the rafters of HSBC Arena… one that brings different stories out of the mouths of different faces, but served to build this goofy, violent and beautiful sport into the Buffalo cultural giant it is today”